Chill'n Out

I twisted on the last wire nut and flipped the breaker. The five-ton package unit immediately dropped the temperature of my man-cave/garage from 107 to 79 degrees. The commercial size blower expelled a torrent of wind that pushed what little hair I had straight back and pulled at my cheeks as if I were in a skydiving free fall. There’ll be no more hot, sweaty, weekend projects at my house...because, now...I can do all those little jobs in my man cave/wind tunnel. In South Texas there is no such thing as too big when it comes to air conditioners.
Eat your heart out Tim “the tool man” Taylor.
Dear Lord,
Forgive my complaining about the summer heat.
I'm certain you will hear less of that complaint now.
I must remember not to complain about the electric bill.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for all my many blessings.
Amen.

Thursday Morning

I stumbled out of bed and made my way to church. It was the same ole routine…just like every day…until we got to the first reading. It was from the book of Judges 11:29-39. I don’t recall ever hearing the story of Jephthah and his vow to the Lord.
"If you deliver the Ammonites into my power," he said,
"whoever comes out of the doors of my house
to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites
shall belong to the LORD.
I shall offer him up as a burnt offering."
Now, I’m thinking, surely he didn’t think that one through. Who did he believe he would meet when he returned home? Maybe, his wife? His child? Some pizza delivery guy? Come on. I can see the writing on the wall, I know where this story is going.
Admittedly there have been times in my marriage when I’ve thought the wife would make a good “burnt offering”. But really, this is all too hard to believe. And, don’t you know it, it’s his daughter that comes out of the house dancing and playing the tambourine, his only daughter, his only child. It’s just too bazaar, how could he have done that?
But then I think how God sacrificed his only Son on the cross. Maybe, I’ve just heard that story so many times that it doesn’t carry the shock value. Besides, that “salvation thing” works for me. I can’t imagine what God and his Son must have gone through, but I am sooooo…. thankful that God loves me that much. It’s mind-boggling, it’s hard to believe but I am going with it. All other options just don’t get the job done.

Thank you, Father God
Thank you, Jesus Christ, Son of God
Thank you Holy Spirit…for the wisdom to not “over-think” this unbelievable awesome salvation truth.
Amen

My Favorite Seventh Grader

Dear Grandson Cameron,
School starts in a few days. I just want you to know that I wish you the best at your new school. I pray your tests go well and that you are placed in a class that is interesting and challenging to you. So have fun, study hard and remember that it is easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble.
May God bless you, your efforts and endeavors. I pray that you grow into the person God wants you to be and have fun along the way. You are a bright spot in my life so be a light to your friends and fellow students. Amen

Love Dado

The Big “D”…and I don’t Mean Dallas

After a seven-month separation…my wife returned home and began using the “D” word. I was taken aback…I never saw it coming. Things ran smoothly during her absence and I figured everything would be OK. I washed all the dishes by hand, never considering that thing under the cabinet. But now that she has returned, she has mentioned the “D” word several times. I think I see the writing on the wall. Tomorrow, I’m buying her that new Dishwasher. Yes, it’s long over due…all the racks are rusty and the drain backs-up leaving an odoriferous surprise for the next innocent victim who opens the door.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for all the modern conveniences.
And thank you for a wonderful wife who knows how to use them.

Amen

The Gang

I started hanging out with those guys that ride motorcycles. Yesterday…the whole gang mounted up and stormed off to the next town looking for thrills and adventure. My mother warned me about these kinds of people but I went anyway. We stopped at a hangout with nothing but trouble on the menu (deep-fried everything). We used language colored with words like “please” and “thank you”. Apparently the folks who ride old “air-head” Beemers are just that way. It’s a cult bike ridden by enthusiasts who enjoy its quirky clutch, clunky transmission and cylinders on the sides. I noticed that no one had a single tattoo; there were no sleeveless shirts and “do rags” in lieu of helmets. I need to watch with whom I associate.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving me wonderful God fearing people to be around.
Amen

FAREWELL

Mrs Elizabeth Lupton Owen, my wife's mother, went to sleep in Our Saviors Arms on Friday afternoon. I will miss her...that true and faithful servant...she was an inspiration to me and so many others. She blessed everyone with her mere presence, gentle countenance and smile for over 104 years. May Mary's mom rest in peace. I love you, Mrs. Owen.
Amen.

South Texas Heat

One hundred and three seemed warm to me,
As the sun rose high overhead.
At a hundred and four, I couldn’t ignore,
The heat that I truly dread.

The temperature climbed to a hundred and nine,
And my knees felt wobbly and weak.
I thought to myself, if I were an elf,
A colder place I’d seek.

But what worries me, is this, you see,
It’s not the South Texas heat.
It’s the eternal flame, that’s not the same,
That I do not want to meet.

It won’t hurt my pride, not to reside,
In the place that’s hotter than this.
Far be it from me, to want to be,
In some infernal hellish abyss.

Thank you Lord, you’ve played your card,
And I must make the decision.
I’ll place my bet and not regret,
Because it is You that has arisen.

Amen.

Road Trip

Three days and twelve pounds later I return home weary from all the hospitality that was heaped upon me. It was a great but exhausting trip…they (my aunt, my cousins) nearly killed me with kindness. All that being waited on…hand and foot…attending to my every wish. It was unusual to be given that much attention, not something I am accustomed to at home. My #2 son and #1 grandson accompanied me on the drive to the old ancestral homeland with its bayous and moss filled trees…the land of my birth…the land that my parents grew up in.

This trip was different from the trips that I remembered as a child. Back then, on the family pilgrimages to see the grandparents, the entertainment was counting the number of cars of a particular make or color, reading the Burma-Shave signs and fighting with siblings over who got the window seat. The window seat was the best seat because the windows were always down, a summer-time necessity, as they were the only air-conditioning. You could stick your head out like a dog and let the wind pull at your face or move your hand like a bird’s wing changing the angle of attack to feel the invisible forces push and pull at your extremity.

There were no seat belts to cramp your style…standing up on the seat was no problem. After all these years many things have changed. The only rule, which has never changed, is the rule about asking; “Are we there yet?” This question is still not allowed to be asked every five minutes.

On this trip the entertainment was I-Phones and Blackberrys…texting and “checking in” on Facebook. Searching the “Gas Buddy” app for the cheapest fuel prices, Googling the nearest restaurants and bookstores. Consulting Google for our current position and any other superfluous question that arose. I felt like we must have stopped at ever Burger King and Dairy Queen for a royal flush. Now, Buc-ees is the new standard when it comes to world-class restrooms. No road trip should be without a stop at the place under the beaver sign. I love their bill-board which reads “ 2 good reasons to stop at Buc-ee’s … #1 and #2.” Their Beaver Nuggets????...I am working up the courage to try them. The name “Beaver Nuggets” congers up the image of beaver pellets. Well, maybe on the next road trip.

Thank you, Aunt Vivian, sister Diane and countless cousins, for the hospitality.
Thank you, daughter Jamie, for letting us borrow your air-conditioned car.
Thank you, son Jason and grandson Cameron, for being great traveling buddies.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for a safe and fun trip.
Amen

Escape To Zoar

As I listened to the reading for the day it struck me that I need an escape route. Lot got out of town just in time and I need to be planning my get away too, before the Lord rains down sulphurous fire on this place. Yep! That’s the ticket…go to Zoar and don’t look back.
As I sail through life…whether it be a violent storm or a light chop…it is comforting to know who is napping in the back of my boat.

Dear Lord Jesus,
Of this I readily must concede.
While tiny as a mustard seed.
It’s my faith, that is my creed.
Without that I would be a weed.

It is Your word, that I must heed.
It is Your will, that must supersede.
It is on Your word, that I must feed.
If I am to get, up to speed.
Amen.

Today’s readings
Genesis 19:15-29
Psalms 26:2-3,9-12
Mathew 8:23-27

Algebra And The Thermos Bottle

"We gather together to celebrate the mystery of God’s love for us.” How many times have I gone to Mass and never really heard that opening line? This morning it struck me…the conundrum of conundrums. The mystery of God’s love for us…us, a sorry pack of sinners. Why would He do that? And…most of all…why me? Some part of me…I’m not sure which; the atheistic, the agnostic or the autistic part…has a hard time believing that. Or, maybe, I just have a hard time understanding it. There are so many things I don’t understand but believe they work…like algebra or the thermos bottle. How does it know to keep cold things cold and hot things hot?

Understanding something is not the proof of its truth.

There is somebody out there taking care of me.
I have proven to myself…that…I can’t do it on my own.
As un-understandable as it is, I like God’s program.
So, I’ll just give in and go with it.
Thank You, Lord Jesus.
Amen.